Shit Givers,
It’s with great excitement that I announce the arrival of — soup season!
While I’m not actually kidding, I’m (mostly) here today to share some fun updates to our company and brand.
Last year, as Willow came on board and we started to plan for the future, we asked you to share everything you loved and hated about our work.
Our goal is to be increasingly intentional about what we make and for whom. Which is why it was helpful when you were overwhelmingly like, “We love the newsletter. We love the essays. Shoving them both into one email/post is way too goddamn long.”
Fair!
So we split them up. And that’s gone over gangbusters. We know what we’re writing, and you know what you’re getting.
Today, as we look forward again, we’re taking that even further.
Inspired by our popular “Not Important” series, which is defined by what it is…not…we took a step back and asked ourselves:
“If Willow’s Monday newsletter had its own name, what would it be?”
And further, “What would it look like? What would it smell like? What would it love and fear and hunger for? What would its favorite foods be? Does it like rollercoasters? Did it have a childhood invisible friend? Pancakes or waffles?”
Knowing why it exists and why people read it helps us write and it helps you to know how and where it fits into the ever-greasier Important, Not Important flywheel.
Enter: It’s Called Science.
It’s Called Science. (like Willow!) tells it like it is. Hence the period at the end. Hence the apple.
It’s the most vital news about the biggest stories in the world, curated from the most respected sources by Willow herself, an actual solutions expert who is a human with a beating heart. It’s increasingly global, it is not a fan of the passive voice.
And that’s because it’s by and for people who give a shit, so it’s got a potpourri of rigorously-tested Action Steps you can take to actually do something about all of it. To fight against the long defeat, and for something way, way better.
All that and you’re in and out in five minutes or less.
And it’s free?
You’re welcome.
Next up we asked:
“What, in fact, am I (Quinn) actually trying to say in my essays?”
Do they exist for me to work out my exasperation in public? (sorry)
Are they think-pieces (for ants?)?
While I was trying to answer those, I ran across an Ezra Klein quote where he said something along the lines of, “At this stage, I’m more into getting to the bottom of things than I am staying on top of them.”
That was it.
The news matters to me, and I consume an upsetting amount of it, but Willow’s already got that covered, and also — what the hell does it all mean?
And why and how the hell did humans get here, again?
In all this time, what’s changed, and what hasn’t?
What’s never going to change, and what could?
Are we — homo sapiens — the baddies?
Enter: Seriously?
Bringing together science, history, philanthropy, anthropology, sociology, some political science, pop culture, and, sure, a bit of religious studies, Seriously? is my liberal arts playground, a safe space (lol) to rant and try and piece together, to understand, and share the context behind, well, everything.
It’s usually a toss-up, and well — that’s humans.
But wait, there’s more.
Our editorial roadmap is focused on digging deep into Important Niches, and so over the next year, you can expect a variety of new newsletters and podcasts from us, some more timely or limited, some evergreen, from voices new and old.
And — like any (adolescent) media company — we want to give you a way to pick and choose what you want to receive and what you don’t — and now you can do that, too.
Enter: Your new Preferences Page.
We will not — will not — be responsible for that heinous red notification bubble on your mail app. Just hit Update Your Email Preferences right here (or down in the footer), do what you must, and Bob’s your uncle.
Read what you want, when you want (just don’t forget to move us to your inbox thankssssss).
So — with these updates, with what’s in the pipeline, what’s it all mean for good old Important, Not Important?
It’s the mothership.
And coming very, very soon? Our biggest announcement yet. The missing piece of the puzzle. The hardest thing we’ve ever done.
Stay tuned.
– Quinn & Willow